B3306 Sennen Cove to St Ives

[Col_C]

Road(s):
B3306
Map

GPX
B3306 Sennen Cove to St Ives.gpx (57.8 KB)

Pics

Why you recommend this route
This road probably has the best views per mile in Cornwall and is well known because of it, so a little local knowledge will help get the best from it.
It always feels better riding it from West to East, can’t say why, it just does.
The sea and farmland to your left granit topped moorland to your right.
Without knowing the road well it’s probably best enjoyed at a relaxed pace taking in the views.
Excepting the few villages on route the road is derestricted and I’ve never seen any enforcement, but the road narrows in many places, unattentive drivers, cyclists and walkers are hazards to always keep in mind. (and livestock between the two cattle grids)
Having said that I’ve enjoyed a few short blasts when conditions/mood permit.
Overtakes are possible but check the driver knows your intension and be decisive, they rarely expect it with the road being quite narrow.
If possible pick your time to ride, a late summers evening is magical here, all the tourists are back at their hotels/camp sites and the road is quiet, plus golden sunlight adds a glow to the scenery.
Sennen is virtually the “end of the line” so if doing the full length from Sennen getting to the start has two options, do the same road from St. Ives “the wrong way” before returning, or take the A30 from Penzance to Lands End. If you feel the need to tick the “Done Lands End” box you’re almost there, but apart from the sea view it’s just tourist tat and you’ll ride away unimpressed.
By far the best section of the B3306 is the second half, so if time is tight or there’s no desire to visit Sennen Cove then you can join the B3306 by - from Penzance A30/A3071/B3318 to join the B3306 at Pendeen.
Nearing the end of the B3306 route don’t forget to pause at the top of a short rise to Rosewall Hill to take in the spectacular view across the St. Ives Bay and far beyond up to Padstow.
At the end of the highlighted route you can either continue on down into St.Ives or fork right on to the B3311 heading on to Penzance or Hayle.

[Octoberon]

What an excellent start to this new bit of the forum. You’ve done a great job of setting the bar for the rest of us.

I’ll confess a little bias; my Mum used to live in Sennen (Crows-an-Wra before that, if you’re local knowledge is really good) and I lived in St Buryan for a few years, which, for the ununitiated, is about halfway between Penzance and Lands End. I do know that road and I would agree with everything you’ve said. Anyone on two wheels (or four, if you must) should take that route at least once. In fact, if you’re not in a hurry, take the whole north coast road rather than the A30 up towards Exeter.

Cornwall’s country roads are awash with Atlantic rain in the winter, and Emmets in the summer. Be careful of both hazards but experience the Cornish landscape in all its moods if you can. I do miss it.

[Col_C]

Had a clear run on this road the other day so downloaded the dashcam footage. Other than joining the segments there’s no fancy editing, the wind noise is annoying (a future project to see if I can shield this), so you might want to hit the mute button. Camera is tucked in just below the headlights so a bit low (may be another project), doesn’t really do the views justice, when riding you get to see much more of the surrounding sea and moorland. But if you’ve got 15 minutes to kill it’s here…

Edit: probably better viewed via your media player.

[Vulpes]

Very nice! I can’t help but notice you told your camera to leave the speed out…

[Col_C]

Yes, wasn’t actually breaking any limits though , I think the camera being lower than the riders view makes it seem faster.
Plus the dashcam gps speed readout is a bit erratic at times, checked it against the BMWconnected app and the satnav, dashcam often reads low so not pandering to my ego.